Sharp rise in 12-hour A&E waits at hospitals trust

The proportion of patients waiting more than 12 hours on emergency department trolleys at York and Scarborough hospitals has more than doubled since April, according to NHS figures.

Data showed 14.6% of A&E attendances at the two hospitals resulted in a wait of 12 hours or more in August, compared to 5.9% in April.

A report by York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said longer waits were "markedly higher" in Scarborough than in York.

The trust told the Local Democracy Reporting Service it was "committed to reducing long waits and eliminating corridor care".

A shortage of senior doctors and staffing sickness, as well as delays in discharging medically fit patients, was to blame for the longer waits, the report said.

"One reason for the performance level at Scarborough is the initial time to see a doctor," it stated.

"Low numbers of senior decision makers and medics, particularly overnight, is sometimes driving long waits."

The trust said it was working on a range of measures to improve performance, including a "coming off corridors" programme, improvements to patient flow and efforts to increase senior medical cover.

A business case is also being developed for additional medical staffing.

Health bosses said measures introduced during September were expected to improve patient flow through emergency departments and help reduce the number of patients waiting longer than 12 hours.

A trust spokesperson said: "We are working closely with our health and care partners to improve patient flow, including supporting earlier discharge, making best use of available beds and strengthening same-day emergency care.

"These actions are helping to reduce long waits, including 12-hour trolley waits."

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